In his first leading role in more than 25 years, Jerry Lewis will star in indie drama "Max Rose" for Lightstream Pictures.

Pic, to be directed by Daniel Noah from his own script, is set to go into production in Los Angeles this fall.

"Max Rose" centers on a widower who revisits key moments in his life to unlock the mysteries of his marriage and family.

"We're going to show an old man who is driven by love and optimism, and by his love for his young daughter," Lewis said.

Lewis last toplined in Martin Scorsese's 1983 film, "The King of Comedy," and he had supporting roles in 1994's "Arizona Dream" and 1995's "Funny Bones."

Lightstream is headed producer Lawrence Inglee and co-founder Paul Currie. Inglee's a former exec with Mark Gordon with producing credits including "The Day After Tomorrow" and upcoming drama "The Messenger" featuring Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson.

NELLIE ANDREEVA wrote:Jerry Lewis, who turns 85 today, is the subject of a feature-length original documentary, which is currently in production for a premiere on Encore in late summer.

The documentary, from director-producer Gregg Barson, will focus on the influence that Lewis has had on the entertainment industry and his relevance today via interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crystal, Chevy Chase, Woody Harrelson, Carol Burnett, Richard Lewis, Carl Reiner, Richard Belzer, John Landis and others. Barson has been filming Lewis for the past three years and has had access to the comedian's personal archives.

Last edited by TheButcher on Fri Jul 15, 2011 6:37 pm, edited 3 times in total.

I agree. Have you ever had one of those movies that hit you hard, emotionally, during a difficult time -- and there really was no discernible reason for it? Funny Bones was that for me. I raced back to the theatre over 20 times, and sobbed uncontrollably each time. Now, it has no such effect on me, but I still love it.

Jerry Lewis was perfectly cast in it.

Of course, you have seen The King of Comedy, haven't you? He is a smash in it.

Dave McNary wrote:Remakes of a trio of the most successful Jerry Lewis comedies from his heyday during the '60s -- "The Bellboy," "Cinderfella" and "The Family Jewels" -- are headed for the bigscreen.

Projects are being developed by Artificial Intelligence Entertainment and Social Capital Films. The banners have acquired remake rights from Lewis to the titles in Lewis' Paramount library, including "The Errand Boy," "The Patsy" and "Who's Minding the Store."

Christopher Tuffin, John Baca and George Paige will serve as producers on the films and are aiming to develop each as a franchise for a major comedy star. Projects have not yet been set up at a studio, and the producers have been starting to set meetings with actors, writers and directors.

Tuffin, who made half a dozen trips to Las Vegas to persuade Lewis to agree to the deal, told Daily Variety, "What we're aiming to do is combine the spirit of the originals with a modern sensibility."

German distributor Square One Entertainment is co-financing the development and has acquired German rights to the remakes. Jerry Lewis, Renee Tab, Martin Shore and Al Munteanu will exec produce.

"Our goal is to reboot each picture as a stand-alone comedy franchise, drawing heavily from Lewis' comedic genius, as well as his heart-warming storytelling," said Baca of Artificial Intelligence.

"The Bellboy" is a slapstick take on a dysfunctional bellboy who runs amok in a five-star hotel. When Paramount decided to delay the release of "Cinderfella" for the holiday season and insisted that Lewis produce a film for the summer of 1960, Lewis came up with the idea for "The Bellboy," shooting on a tight schedule by day and performing at the hotel in the evenings at the Fountainbleau in Miami.

Tuffin noted that Lewis is credited with developing the technique of video assist through his use of video cameras and closed circuit monitors to review his performance instantly on "The Bellboy."

"Cinderfella" is a comedy version of the Cinderella story, with several of the roles reversed, including Ed Wynn as the fairy godfather and Anna Maria Alberghetti as the princess.

"Family Jewels," released in 1965, centers on a dim-witted limo driver charged with helping a young orphaned heiress figure out which of her eccentric uncles should be her new father. Lewis directed, co-wrote the script and played all six uncles and the driver.

Par ended its association with Lewis in the 1970s, and subsequently the rights to these films were given back to Lewis by then-Paramount CEO Barney Balaban as a way of thanking Lewis. Those titles included "The Nutty Professor," which Universal remade successfully in 1996 with Eddie Murphy, followed four years later with the sequel "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps."

Santa Monica-based Social Capital has been a film financier, including on the recently wrapped Halle Berry thriller "Dark Tide."

Lewis earlier announced that he planned to star in indie drama "Max Rose" for Lightstream Pictures, portraying a widower who revisits key moments in his life to unlock the mysteries of his marriage and family. Pic has not yet begun production.

Apatow also addressed the “fuck you” he dropped on Jerry Lewis last night during the Critics Choice Movie Awards. Lewis has been quoted as saying at a 1998 comedy festival that seeing women tell jokes “sets me back a bit,” adding “I think of her as a producing machine that brings babies into the world.” So during Apatow’s acceptance speech for Bridesmaids‘ best comedy win last night, the producer said: “Jerry Lewis once said that he didn’t think women were funny. So I’d just like to say, with all respect, fuck you.” Apatow, known for broad, male-oriented movie comedies including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad and Pineapple Express, said during today’s session that this is a “golden era for talented women in comedy.” Of his own male-oriented movies, he said: “I started with my own genitals, if you will,” but considers women as funny as men.

In his first film starring role since 1995′s Funny Bones, Jerry Lewis starts work tomorrow in the starring role of the indie feature Max Rose. Directed by Daniel Noah from his script, the film is a drama about a jazz pianist who has recently lost his wife of over five decades. A discovery made days before her death causes Max to believe his marriage was a lie. He embarks on an exploration of his own past that brings him face to face with a menagerie of characters from a bygone era. Noah is making his directing debut.

While he has done stage work, the 86-year-old Lewis hasn’t done much in the way of films in a long time. Before Funny Bones his last big starring role came in 1983′s Martin Scorsese-directed The King Of Comedy, opposite Robert De Niro.

Lewis stars with Claire Bloom, Kevin Pollak, Argo‘s Kerry Bishe and Mort Sahl. It’s a reunion for Sahl and Lewis, as Sahl appeared on Lewis’ 1963 comedy variety series. The project was trotted out several Cannes Film Festivals ago, but then languished. Since then, Noah has gone on to partner with Elijah Wood and Josh C. Waller in The Woodshed, an indy production company with a bent towards genre films.

The film, which will shoot in Los Angeles, is produced by Mosaic Media Group’s Lawrence Inglee and Lightstream Pictures’ Garrett Kelleher.

Bill Hunt wrote:In other news today, Warner Home Video has officially announced a new The Nutty Professor: 50th Anniversary Edition for release on Blu-ray Disc on 6/3 (SRP $54.99). This is, of course, the classic Jerry Lewis comedy. The set will include the film in both Blu-ray and DVD, as well as DVD versions of two other Lewis classics, Cinderfella and The Errand Boy. You’ll get the new Jerry Lewis: No Apologies documentary, a new Director’s Letter written by Lewis to present the collection, a 48-page Storyboard Book, the 96-page Recreated “Being a Person” book, the 44-page Cutting Script with Lewis’ notes, audio commentary by Lewis and Steve Lawrence, 3 featurettes (The Nutty Professor: Perfecting the Formula, Jerry Lewis at Work, and Jerry at Movieland Wax Museum with commentary by son Chris Lewis), deleted scenes, Jerry and Stella promos, bloopers, screen tests, outtakes, the origial mono track and trailers.

THR:Watch the Most Painfully Awkward Interview of 2016: 7 Minutes With Jerry Lewis

Andy Lewis wrote:The Hollywood Reporter set out to interview 10 nonagenarians in the business — people in their 90s and beyond still vital and working — and nine of the interviews went great. One was a trainwreck.

I had a bad feeling about how the conversation with Jerry Lewis was going to go the second I walked into his Vegas house — the interview was scheduled for a few off days in his touring schedule — and saw him watching TV with his headphones on. He looked angry. I already knew Lewis' reputation for being difficult and acerbic with his audiences and in interviews. And he's a well-known control freak.

Throughout the photo shoot, Lewis complained about the amount of equipment in the house, the number of assistants and how the shots were set up. By the time we sat down for the interview about an hour later, Lewis had worked up a full head of steam, and it seemed like he was punishing THR by doing the interview but being as uncooperative as possible. As awkward and funny — and it's pretty funny — as the interview is, it weirdly proves the point of the entire package: 90-year-old Jerry Lewis is vital and completely engaged. He's just engaged — almost happily so — in being difficult.